1. Technical Field
This invention relates to absorbent liners and, more particularly, to disposable absorbent liners for absorbing moisture and assisting to maintain perishable foodstuff at a fresh state within a refrigerated environment.
2. Prior Art
For most people, household chores are a fact of life. Vacuuming debris from carpeting, polishing furniture, waxing floors and cleaning windows are necessary tasks which must be done regularly to ensure a healthy and clean household. In particular, keeping a clean kitchen is of utmost concern for many consumers. Because the kitchen is such a vital component of any home, most consumers take careful steps to make sure this room is clean and sanitary. Specifically, cleaning away spills and food debris from the interior of one's refrigerator is an important chore regularly completed by most household consumers. Most refrigerator shelving is comprised of rubber coated wire racks, as well as solid plastic shelves.
Providing ample space on which to store gallons of milk, condiments, and a host of other goods, shelving is integral to any refrigerator design. A crucial element of any refrigerator is the “crisper” drawers. Typically utilized to store fresh produce including a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, crisper drawers also provide ample storage for items such as luncheon meats, cheese and eggs. Although necessary, because of the very function of these drawers, ensuring they are clean and sanitary at all times can be problematic, especially given the fact that foods stored “out of sight” are often “out of mind” long past the expiration date. Simply stated, foods left within a crisper drawer for too long can quickly decompose, leaving behind a sticky and foul smelling liquid residue.
Let's face it, who hasn't opened a refrigerator crisper drawer when unpacking groceries, only to find the unpleasant reminder of forgotten peaches, lettuce or tomatoes purchased in the weeks before? Further, while the stench of rotten fruits and vegetables can be completely disgusting, those smells are only intensified when combined with the odor of spoiled meats and cheeses. Unfortunately, regardless of how well one maintains their household, it can be easy to forget the many food items which are stored away in a crisper drawer until the unpleasant, odoriferous reminder of their presence has seeped into the rest of the refrigerator, tainting other foods. Cleaning this sloppy residue can be a daunting task, particularly as the liquid matter which results from the food decomposition can become easily trapped within the grooves of the drawer, forming a crusty hard residue that is difficult to remove. Obviously, it would advantageous to provide a means for maintaining a clean and sanitary refrigerator drawer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,120,417 to Aquino discloses a permanent, reusable, open skeletal-type crate that is permanently erect or collapsible. The crate is constructed to hold an inexpensive tray that is disposable. The tray in turn holds any desired number of individual containers of fluid or otherwise. In the preferred form the crate is collapsible and possesses hinged bottom end pieces that are slidable as allowed by a slot in a bottom strap. The erect crate may receive a tray holding the fluid or other containers with the crate and the tray constituting a system that is delivered to a retail outlet or alternatively the tray with its contents is deposited in the retail outlet. The crate has exceptional stacking strength with special corner posts. However, the crate is weak in the side to side direction and the end to end direction to eliminate uses that are prevalent with present milk crates. Unfortunately, this prior art example is not designed for refrigerator storage.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,173,580 to Rosenburg discloses a liner for a refrigerator crisper drawer. The liner comprises a main produce supporting body and provides drawer engaging surfaces. The main body provides a generally upwardly facing produce supporting surface on which items of produce can be placed and has a plurality of openings formed therethrough which enable fluids and air to flow through the main body. The supporting surfaces engage liner supporting surfaces inside the crisper drawer so as to support the items of produce in spaced relation above the floor of the crisper drawer and allow fluids and air to flow along the floor of the drawer beneath the produce supporting body, thereby allowing fluids to drain away from the items of produce through the openings and allowing chilled air within the crisper drawer to flow beneath the items of produce and generally upwardly through the openings to provide circulation to lower portions of the produce. The drawer engaging surfaces are constructed and arranged to enable the liner to be removed from the crisper drawer for cleaning or replacement. Unfortunately, this prior art example does not provide an odor eliminating mechanism.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,305,567 to Sulpizio discloses a protective insert for a drawer having a plurality of sidewalls which are interconnected by a bottom wall which is comprised of a generally continuous, generally tubular frame. The frame is formed of a plurality of interconnected, generally flat panels, the number of panels corresponding to the number of sidewalls of the drawer. Each of the frame panels is sized and shaped to conform to and to engage and cover at least a portion of an interior surface of the sidewalls of a corresponding one of the drawer. A flexible liner extends between each of the panels of the frame to engage and cover at least a substantial portion of the bottom wall of the drawer. In this manner, the frame retains the liner in place within the drawer such that the combination of the liner and the frame cover and protect at least a substantial portion of the interior surfaces of the drawer. In one embodiment, the frame is adjustable to fit drawers of different sizes and the liner is a sheet of polymeric material. In another embodiment, the frame is a predetermined, fixed size and the liner is a polymeric bag, which is secured to the frame. Unfortunately, this prior art example does not provide an odor eliminating mechanism.
Accordingly, the present invention is disclosed in order to overcome the above noted shortcomings. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing an apparatus that is convenient and easy to use, lightweight yet durable in design, and designed for absorbing moisture and assisting to maintain perishable foodstuff at a fresh state within a refrigerated environment. The present invention is simple to use, inexpensive, and designed for many years of repeated use.